1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of wheel rims for pneumatic tires of a vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to the field of wheel well obstructor bands for wheel rims of a vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Specifically, pneumatic tires are commonly mounted on a wheel rim. The wheel rim has an annular narrow wheel well which effectively reduces the diameter of the wheel well all around its circumference. Such a wheel well, sometimes called a drop-center type wheel rim, facilitates the mounting of a pneumatic tire on the wheel rim. When it is desired to install the tire onto the wheel rim, one side of the bead can be placed around the bead retaining flange and into the wheel well, thus enabling the diametrically opposing side of the bead to be placed over the bead retaining flange on the other side of the wheel rim. Removal of the tire is accomplished in the reverse manner.
After the tire is installed and the tire inflated with its bead seated against the flanges, the wheel well serves no purpose. The presence of the wheel well, however, has been found to pose safety problems. When pressure is unintentionally lost from the tire due to a blow out or puncture during operation, the wheel well becomes available to the bead of the tire. If the bead of the tire falls into the wheel well, it is possible for the diametrically opposite sides of the bead to unintentionally fall off the bead retaining flange, and thereby the entire bead can fall off the flange. When the bead of the tire is lost from the bead retaining flange, serious loss of control of a vehicle upon which the tire is mounted can result.
Prior art band-type well obstructors have been proposed for obstructing this wheel well so that, in the event of deflation of the tire during operation, the interior of the wheel well will not be available to the bead of the tire, thereby insuring that the tire will remain on the wheel rim. However, wheel well-fillers of current designs have to be made individually for different types of wheels of different diameter and especially for wheel wells of different effective depths. None of the known prior art wheel well obstructors is adjustable in depth.
The following two (2) prior art patents are found to be pertinent to the field of the present invention:
1. U.S. Pat. No. 4,694,874 issued to White on Sep. 22, 1987 for xe2x80x9cWheel Well Obstructor For A Wheel Rimxe2x80x9d (hereafter the xe2x80x9cWhite Patentxe2x80x9d); and
2. U. S. Pat. No. 5,435,368 issued to Lxc3xcst on Jul. 25, 1995 for xe2x80x9cTire-Retention Device And Wheel Rimxe2x80x9d ((hereafter the xe2x80x9cLxc3xcst Patentxe2x80x9d).
The White Patent discloses a wheel well obstructor for a wheel rim for obstructing the well of the hub of a wheel rim. The wheel obstructor has an inextensible band with integral circular protrusions mechanically extruded onto the band. The circular protrusions extend radially inwardly to abut against the base of the wheel well to retain the band in position surrounding the wheel well, and to resist crushing under the weight of the vehicle in the event of deflation of the tire.
The Lxc3xcst Patent discloses a well-filler of variable width for a drop-center wheel. The well filler has a band for circumposing the wheel rim in the well in engagement with a plurality of segments and mutually engageable connectors at first and second ends of the band. The connector means is adjustable for tightening of the band in the well around the rim. Engagement of the band with the segments is such that when the band is tightened in the well of a wheel rim, the segments are urged in directions transverse to the band so that the width of the well-filler matches that of the well.
It is desirable to provide an improved wheel well obstructor band with the capability of rapidly adapting to a plurality of different types of wheels of different diameter and especially for wheel wells of different effective depths. It is also desirable to provide a unique tightening hand tool for installing the improved wheel well obstructor band to a plurality of different types of wheels in a much more efficient way than prior art hand tools.
The present invention is an improved removable wheel well obstructor band which serves as a stable platform for supporting the beads of a flat tire, thereby resulting in a controlled run-flat tire capability.
The removable band-type wheel well obstructor is used for obstructing the interior of an annular wheel well of a wheel rim, wherein the wheel well has a predetermined radial depth. The obstructor includes a two-piece annular band of inextensible material of a predetermined axial width, a thickness which is substantially less than the depth of the wheel well and is adapted to circumferentially surround the wheel well, and is provided with an opening through its circumference. A plurality of radially and inwardly projecting adjustable snap-on frusto-cone shaped shims of a predetermined height are attached to and spaced around the circumference of the band and are adapted to be received into the wheel well. A plurality of height adjusters are respectively attachable to the plurality of snap-on shims for accommodating a plurality of different depths of wheel well. Means are also provided for tensionably retaining the wheel well obstructor band on the wheel rim.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved removable wheel well obstructor which includes a plurality of removable and attachable shims for adapting to the depth of a wheel well.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an improved removable wheel well obstructor which includes a plurality of different thicknesses of a height adjuster that are attachable to the shims so that the plurality of shims can be adapted to a plurality of different depths of a wheel well.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide an improved removable wheel well obstructor which includes a fastener assembly for drawing together spaced apart adjacent ends of the band portions.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved removable wheel well obstructor wherein the plurality of shims provide positive resistance to movement of the wheel well obstructor into the wheel well of the wheel rim under the weight of the vehicle, and they also reduce the incidence of slippage or rotational movement of the obstructor with respect thereto.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a tightening hand tool to be used with the improved removable wheel well obstructor to draw the two ends of the band of the wheel well obstructor together so that tension is released, thereby allowing the installer to tighten the fastener to secure the wheel well obstructor to the wheel rim.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the improved removable wheel well obstructor is a two-piece type band.
In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the improved removable wheel well obstructor is a unitary type band.